Separation of Water from ULSD using Superhydrophobic Nanofibers Sarfaraz Patel & George Chase

1. 4 Separation of Water from ULSD using Superhydrophobic NanofibersSarfaraz Patel & George Chase Abstract Waterin diesel fuel is one of the major causes of diesel engine maintenance problems. Water serves as a growth medium for organisms that plug the diesel engine. This poster discusses fabrication, characterization and use of nanofiber mats made up of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) for separation of water from Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). 5,7.5,10 and 12.5 weight percent of PVDF-HFP polymer is dissolved in acetone and electrospun. The nanofibers mats are characterized by their water contact angle and contact angle hysteresis. All mats have water contact angle values greater than 150 degrees with relatively low contact angle hysteresis values making them superhydrophobic. The nanofiber mats are tested in a dead end filtration setup for separation of water from ULSD. A fine emulsion of water in ULSD is challenged to filter media and separation efficiency and pressure drop across the filter media are recorded. The experimental results showed the superhydrophobic nanofiber mats removed water from fuel very effectively with water removal efficiencies reaching 99%. ∆P = Pressure Drop QF = Quality Factor C = concentration N = number of droplets of water D = water drop diameter ρ = Density of water Experimental Set Up Transducer Power Supply Fuel Pump Water + ULSD Filter Holder Upstream Sample Downstream Sample Fig 1. Filtration Experiment Setup Porosity Calculation Future Work: (1)Porosity by Image Analysis Technique. (2) Experiments with Glycerol Monooleate Surfactant. Here, ε = Porosity of composite media L = Thickness NFL = Nanofiber Layer GL = Glass Fiber Layer